Improvement in fruit-ladders



PATENT erica..

A. W. OLDS, OF GREEN OAK, MICHIGAN.

A IMPROVEMENT IN FRUIT-LADDERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 46,694, dated March 7,1865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, A. W. OLDs, of Green Oak, in the county of Livingston and State of Michigan, have invented a new and lmproved Ladder; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear., and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in Which- Figure 1 is aside sectional View of my invention, taken in the line x x, Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a rear view of the same; Fig. 8, a side View of the saine adjusted as an ordinary ladder.

Similar' letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This invention consists in constructing a ladder in such a manner that it may be used as an ordinary step-ladder for picking fruit and other purposes, and be capable of being readily moved from place to place, and also adjusted to suit uneven ground, and also capable of being adjusted so as to form, when desired, a single or continuous ladder, such as are used by house-painters and others.

A represents one portion of the ladder, constructed in the usual way-to wit, of two ,parallel bars, c a, with roundsv b inserted between them. A represents the other portion ofthe ladder, constructed in the same way, and secured at its upper end to the upper end ot' A by means of a round, b, which passes through the bars a of both parts, the two parts A A being inclined in opposite positions, as shown in Fig. 1.

The lower end of the part A of the ladder is connected to the upper end of a support, B, which is composed ot' two inclined bars, c c, and a central bar, d., all connected together in close contact at their upper ends and connected at their lower parts by a cross-bar, e. The bar c is composed of two parts connected by guides or loops f, to admit of said bar c being lengthened or shortened, as may be required, and to the lower ends of the bars c c wheels d are attached, one to each.

The lower end of the ladder A rests on a round, g, in the upper part of the-support B, and a round, h, passes through the bars a of said ladder and through the support, the upper end of the support bearing against a round, j, of the ladder A. By this arrangement the support B may be readily attached to the ladder A and readily detached from it.

C represents a brace or connecting rod composed of two parts, j j, connected by pins k k, said pins passing through holes l. One part, j of this brace is attached to the support B, and the other part, j, is attached to the lower round of the ladder A,as shown in Fig.-

1. By this arrangement it will be seen that a step ladder, or a ladder equivalent thereto, is obtained; and it will further be seen that the device may be readily moved from place to' place by raising the part A so that the device may rest upon the wheels d.

The device may be made to stand firmly and uprightly on uneven ground by adjusting the double or sliding bar c of the support B to suit the inclination of the ground.

In ease an ordinary ladder is required, the support B is detached from the ladder A and the latter adjusted in line with A, the lower ends orn the side bars of the former being notched and resting on a round of the latter, and a round passed through the side bars of the two ladders, so as to form a single or continuous ladder.

The device forms a very simple and convenient ladder for general use.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The two ladders A A, in connection with the brace or connecting rod O and the support B and wheels d, all arranged substan! tially as and for the purpose specified.

Witnesses: A. W. OLDS.

ROBERT WARDEN, JOHN HoorER. 

